Managing de Quervain’s Disease
by Jeffrey Maitland, Ph.D.

Not too long ago a client came to me complaining of pain and dysfunction in her left wrist. She also displayed a hard little bump at her radiostyloid process that was painful to the touch. Her doctors diagnosed her problem as de Quervain’s disease and told her that the bump on her wrist was "bunched up nerves." They recommended the standard medical treatment of steroid injections and surgical decompression if the injections failed to work. As is typical of so many clients these days, she was not interested in what her doctors recommended and wanted to try another approach.

Before I discuss how to resolve this condition using the laser and percussor we need to understand what de Quervain’s disease is. According to Rene Caillet, M.D., (Hand Pain and Impairment, Edition 3, F. A. Davis Company, 1982) it is a form of stenosing tenosynovitis of the thumb abductors at the radiostyloid process. It is probably caused by "excessive repetitive movement or unphysiologic stress of the tendon [that] may inflame the tendon sheaths and cause painful impairment of motion...The tendons of the abductor pollicis longus and the extensor pollicis brevis usually move in the same synovial sheath that passes in a bony groove over the radiostyloid process and, from there, forms a sharp angle of as much as 105º. Synovitis results from friction between the tendon, the sheath, and the bony process. This friction occurs during pinching with the thumb and simultaneous motion of the wrist...Symptoms of aching discomfort are localized over the styloid process with radiation into the hand or up the forearm. Aching or pain is aggravated by movements of the wrist and thumb...Pathology takes the form of an increased vascularity of the outer sheath that, coupled with edema, thickens the sheath and constricts the enclosed tendon. The synovial fluid of the sheath increases and turns a yellowish color. Fine hair-like adhesions may be found between the sheath and the tendon and the sheath may be thickened to two to four times its normal size."
 

From Caillet’s description we can surmise that the bump on my client’s wrist was, more than likely, not "bunched up nerves," but a swollen encapsulated section of the sheath. Regardless of kind of growth the bump was, however, it turned out to be responsive to manipulation and managing my client’s de Quervain’s disease with the percussor and laser was simple and easy.

Treatment consists of two easy steps:

First clear all the compensatory and other strain patterns and fixations associated with the wrist problem. To give you a few ideas about where to work, here are some suggestions. Make sure the neck and cranium are free. Check for organ involvement. Be certain that there are no fixed carpal bones, but give special attention to the scaphoid (navicular) bone. Be sure to release the myofascial tissues of the forearm, wrist, and hand. Because it tends to manifest a lot of strain in wrist problems, don’t overlook the interosseous membrane. Nutritional considerations are always relevant. Consider Total Joint Support with glucosamine, DSF regular or herbal, Total Calcium could be a consideration and certainly Total Inflam and Total Veggie to reduce inflammation and promote alkalinity and parasympathetic balance.

Next, place your thumb over the affected area, which in this case is the bump at the styloid process of the radius. Shine the laser (frequencies 9, 16, 42, 21) on the wrist through your thumb. Turn on the percussor and place it on your thumb, apply strong pressure with your thumb to the affected area, and watch with amazement as the bump melts away and the wrist and arm release the strain and pain. That’s all there is to it and best of all it works.

It took a number of sessions to get rid of the bump, pain, and dysfunction. As is typical in these cases, (especially if they forget to take their DSF and other nutrition), my client re-injured herself a few times which slowed down her recovery. It only takes 5-10 minutes of laser/percussor to get the miracle.

A NOTE FROM DR. BRIMHALL

We thank Dr. Maitland and welcome other practitioners to send us their success stories and techniques.

We look forward to seeing you soon at one of our seminars around the country. When you think of nutrition, think Nutri-West. When you think of technique and equipment, think Brimhall and call our seminar office at 480-964-5198 or 866-338- 4883. Remember www.brimhall.com takes you to any of our sites.

Yours in health, wealth and happiness,

The Brimhall Wellness Team and Family